September 19, 2011

Tomorrow Doesn't Have to be Like Yesterday

That DOESN'T mean that the Seahawks are the worst team in the NFL, or that they are going to go 0-16, or that Pete Carroll should be fired, or that the team should pack its bags and join the former Sonics in Oklahoma. It means simply that the Seahawks have dropped two road games and looked pretty terrible in the process. Seattle fans SHOULD be concerned, and we should be looking at Sunday's home opener against Arizona as an absolute must-win game (and be accordingly ear-splittingly loud).

What bothers me (OK, pisses me off) are the legions of Seahawks fans who are instantly assuming that these two games are absolutely representative of how the team will play this season- An unalterable, immutable fact- Like water being wet or your skeleton being inside your body. When faced with an outsider or the national football press stating "the Seahawks suck," they don't jump up and go "Fuck you!" They meekly slump their shoulders and mumble "yeah, I guess so."

Yes, the Seahawks are off to a bad start- But NO NFC West team has won a road game yet, and unless the Niners can win at Cincinnati next Sunday, a win over Arizona will move the Seahawks into a tie for 1st place in the division. That would hardly be a hopeless, forlorn position for us to be in a week from now.

Here's a bigger, perhaps unbridgeable, philosophical divide between myself and a LOT of other Seahawks fans- Remember that Simpsons episode where they went camping and Homer, Bart, Ned and his kids end up lost at sea? Homer is all negative and fatalistic, while Flanders tries to keep everyone's morale up. When a point comes where Homer's pessimism seems to be proven right, he yells: "You see, Bart? Your old man was right! We ARE doomed! In your face, Flanders!!!" I feel like a lot of Seahawks fans, after TWO WEEKS, have already retreated into this dank cone of destitute despair, and I don't get that at all- As long as the team still has a pulse, I HAVE TO believe they have a chance. What are you going to say to that? "Fuck you, DKSB! We ARE doomed!" Bully for you, I guess?

And they DO still have a chance to win this division. In franchise history, the team has started 0-2 twelve times in 16-game seasons. In EIGHT of those seasons, they've bounced back and finished 7-9 or better. Eight times they've been in this exact position and climbed out of that hole to at least be semi-respectable (and let's face it: 8 wins will be enough to take the NFC West title this season).

I'm pumping out sunshine, right? But here's the scary reality: If we lose Sunday it IS over for this season. An 0-3 start is bad enough, but 0-2 in the division, including a home divisional loss? Hard to see how you can win the West pulling that shit. Not only do the Seahawks need to play their best game Sunday, WE need to have our best game as fans- If you're coming to Seahawks Stadium looking for an excuse to boo our team, stay the fuck home. We've only got room for Mean Motherfuckin' Soldiers of Twelve this Sunday- Folks ready to blow out their vocal chords to help give Kevin Kolb fuckin' Tinnitus.

I'll be at the game Sunday, and a loss aint gonna happen on my watch, mofos.

What do you think, sirs? Who is with me? Plenty of leg-room on this bandwagon right now...

3 comments:

In general I've been super negative on twitter in responding to your posts, but it all comes from just how awful Jackson has been. I know it's not exclusively his fault (it never is one players) but he has done everything poorly from the first preseason game until now, even when given the time. ZERO targets to BMW and Miller combined in the first half yesterday is completely inexcusable and absurd from any QB.

Seeing as how Carroll seems dead set on riding Jackson until he is either injured or kills his family, I don't see the depressing tailspin ending.

That doesn't mean I can't see us beating some shitty teams, which thankfully we still have 5 more games against, I just don't see us looking competent against any team outside of the NFC West....again.

All that being said, this is my 9th year as a season ticket holder and I wouldn't miss a game for practically anything. SEA!

We've looked bad, especially on offense. We have had bright spots, especially on defense.

2-14, while a depression-filled season, isn't the end of the world, and has a nice silver lining, especially this year. A great draft, in a year with marquee players at positions we need will do wonders to transform this team into a winning franchise.

9-7 or better will still have bumps, but will end up being a great season, relatively speaking. That record would certainly look like a division-winning one, and that means another shot at the playoffs. Like they say, anything can happen in the playoffs.

What really scares me, though, is mediocrity. Mired in a 6-10ish season will be horrible. We'll lose just enough games to miss out on the playoffs, and win just enough to miss out on key players in the draft.

I'll be cheering for the win this Sunday, as I always do, and I'll never cheer for us to lose. Why root for the team if you're just going to root for losing?

To me, a loss next week won't doom the season. A .500 record between now and the bye just might.

I applaud your confidence that the playoffs are still within reach. I certainly do not disagree with that - as last year proved it is possible and the NFC West is still bad. And I likewise lament those who would merely write off the season as a failure. But I believe it is acceptable as a fan to acknowledge the likely result. This team is not going to the playoffs but that is okay. They are not going to go 0-16. But a bad 3-13 or 4-12 season is not out of the realm of possible.

The thing is I don't think that even a bad 4-12 season is cause for too much alarm -- as bizarre as that might seem. Under no circumstance should PC's job be in danger. The team made the conscious decision to get younger and faster while getting worse in the short term. If the management bought off on that they have to tolerate losing. I am okay with losing and a bad year as long as they don't give up (i.e., the Jim Mora Season) and they get better as the season progresses. Improvement is all we can hope for as fans. The playoffs are unrealistic.

I don't think this makes me a bad fan. I think we're playing to get good in the long term and building something strong. That means not winning in the short term so that young guys get the experience.

Meet Your Blogger

I've been a Twelve since 1983 (and I haven't missed a game since then). I've been a season-ticket holder since 1997, and I've been writing this blog since 2008. My all-time favorite Seahawks player is Dave Krieg, and my favorite current Seahawk is Russell Wilson. Thanks for stopping by! -Joy Kruczynski